The New Hampshire Gazette

FOR THE GAZETTE.

"His troubled thoughts, and from the bottom stir
The hell within him."

Mr. Melcher,

I had almost precluded myself from any further place in your paper, a consideration that has given my opponent a degree of assurance, which otherwise he might not have discovered; as it is not always fit that a poltroon should triumph even in his own opinion, a deviation, for once, from my intention may be excusable.

Bradshaw, poor unhappy man! comes forward at last in his own natural garb, foaming with malice and despair; and pours forth a volley of scurrility unequalled, at least in modern times; what spirit short of infernal could have dictated the venomous ideas contained in his last publication? Surely none but a savage mind could have suggested such a harangue with no other provocation than that on which he pretends to found it; with what eagerness he grasps at the least shadow of an opportunity to give vent to his revengeful feelings!--did he direct his malevolence against A Republican only, it could easily be accounted for--incapable of defence with nobler weapons, it might be expected that envy and rage would point him to such as he has assumed: but as if to fill up the measure of his iniquities, and give to calumny its full scope--Mr. Randolph is again introduced--if no other evidence of Bradshaw's folly and wickedness could be produced, not only virtue, but common sense must condemn him for this alone: but placing virtue and propriety out of the question (terms which lose their meaning when applied to him) he must be a dastardly fellow, who, skulking under his own insignificance for security, can without the least provocation thus wantonly sport with the character of one who for ought he knows, is, at least an honest man; were the blackest crimes which jealousy itself has dared to suggest against him, undeniably proved, greater severity could not be justified.

After stating his aim in all this effusion of blood, carnage, Robespierre and the guillotine, our hero suddenly assumes an air of moderation, and once more retails out the old story that has been so often repeated. As all the items contained in this narration have been duly noticed heretofore, except one, which appears to be new, I shall attend to that only, not as a matter of any importance in itself, but that the reader may see how little reliance is to be placed on Bradshaw's declarations. "I opposed A Citizen's statement (says he) in the following particulars. 1st: I said there never was but one address offered for signing, and that after the ratification of the President."

A Citizen did not assert that there was more than one address offered for signing, nor did Bradshaw say there was not; there was no opposition therefore in that particular, on the contrary Bradshaw's observations on this point seem to carry an idea that there were two--(see his reply to A Citizen of Portsmouth)--

A Citizen asserted that different attempts were made to obtain signers to the address and at different periods-the one before and the other after the President's ratification, that the first did not succeed for reasons given, &c. this if Bradshaw denies could easily have been proved, it was a matter of general notoriety; most of the other assertions of A Citizen that Bradshaw was not willing to admit, were of such a nature that if true could not easily be proved by positive evidence, but A Republican has no more doubt of their truth than of those he could prove by deposition--but enough of this.

In some part of Bradshaw's last publication he says he "endeavored to settle disputes amicably and rationally,"--Bradshaw talking of reasoning and a blind man of colours form a just, if not a forcible simile--vain man! thou art incapable of argument, however essential a requisite in thy profession--thy little mind will ever afford a fund of petty sophistry and quibbles, the petulance of thy temper, a fruitful source of envy, and invective, while an inherent obstinacy joined with its usual concomitant ignorance, deprive thee of that manly ingenuousness, so necessary to the prosecution and happy termination of every dispute that has truth for its object--all this A Republican saw and prudently (as he thinks) declining entering a field of argument, at the same time giving his opponent an opportunity to quit the contest when he might have saved himself from the disgrace that always attends the man who falls a sacrifice to his own unruly passions.

Bradshaw's observations on the memorable Story of "Uncle Toby and the fly" are too futile to deserve an answer, it certainly has merit, and that it should suffer from being generally known, is a new doctrine under the sun-that it operated with full force on him, and even more than answered the purpose of its introduction is abundantly evident.

Thus have I once more noticed my adversary, and given a short description of his character, conduct, &c.-did I choose to follow his base example I might proceed and load him with abusive epithets, but I decline the odious task, and leave him to wallow in his own filth, rather than wound the public ear with any further detail of his wretchedness-if I have painted him in false colours, or (though consistent with truth) have exercised any unmerited severity, I am ready to take it back & restore fourfold for the injury.

It has seemed necessary thus to state his faults, but I really pity the man; suffer me kind reader to solicit thy commiseration in his behalf, consign him not over to that horrid destiny which seems to await him, but rather cover his frailties with the mantle of compassion, sigh for the depravity of human nature, and rejoice that thyself art not beset with such infirmities.

REPUBLICAN.